If you think that compared to modern people, our ancestors behaved less eccentrically, then you simply know little about the traditions and customs that were adopted before. But we will help you fill this gap by telling you about 9 strange things that our ancestors did. 
First and second dream 
In the Middle Ages, Europeans practiced so-called biphasic sleep. They went to bed at sunset, slept until midnight, then woke up and stayed awake for 2-3 hours. Some spent this time reading, some spent time communicating with family, and some went to visit neighbors. And then everyone went to bed for the second time, and slept until the sun rose.
Live alarm clock 
From the mid-18th century until the late 1950s, there was a profession called knocker-up. His job was to wake up people who needed to get up early. For this purpose, knocker-ups used sticks, which were used to knock on the upper windows, or blowpipes, from which they shot peas.
Boys' dresses 
From the 16th century to the 1920s, it was customary for boys aged 4 to 8 to dress... in dresses. The reason for this may have been the high cost of clothing - if the child outgrew the dress, it was easier to remake it. This tradition was not alien even to royal families. In this photo you see Tsarevich Alexei, son of Nicholas 2nd, surrounded by his sisters. They are all wearing the same dresses.
Chopins 
Chopines, also zoccoli, pianelle, are something like platform shoes with a height of 50 cm. It is not surprising that those who wore them, so that they did not fall victim to fashion, needed the help of servants. But chopins were worn not for the sake of beauty, but for practical purposes - so as not to stain the hem of clothes with street dirt.
Lack of hygiene 
In some countries, people believed that water was the source of disease, and lice were God's pearls, since they carried “Christian blood.” And not washing your whole life was a sign of special holiness. For example, the Spanish Queen Isabella the First of Castile was very proud of the fact that she washed herself only twice in her entire life - immediately after birth and immediately before the wedding.
Radioactive cosmetics 
At the beginning of the 20th century, nothing bad was seen in radiation. At that time, one could easily buy food, drinks and cosmetics rich in radium and thorium, radioactive souvenirs, and even means for radioactive irradiation of water.
Smoking on board aircraft 
Just some 50-60 years ago, smoking was not considered a bad habit. People did not deny themselves this dubious pleasure even during flights. However, today smoking is prohibited on board, but in some countries (for example Iran), this ban does not apply.
Bathing machines 
Unlike us, people living in the 18th and 19th centuries couldn't just afford to go to the beach and start swimming. To do this, they needed bathing machines - special carts that looked like changing cabins. Such carts were lowered into the water with the help of horses, after which people came out from the bottom and began to swim, without fear of attracting anyone's attention. Moreover, bathing machines for women were installed at a distance from bathing machines for men.
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